Clamoring workers on fishing trawlers fill the small harbor at Lembar Port. The metallic sound of industry and boat horns fills the air as the ferry docks. The ferry’s large steel doors fall with a thud as the motorbikes and cars incessantly rev their engines incrementally louder and louder until the whistle is blown to signal their exit from the ship. Roaring into the small town, just a few kilometers south of the island’s capital, you are greeted by a large mosque and several warangs serving the hungry embarking or disembarking voyagers a quick meal. In my perfect Indonesian motorbike trip, this is the final stop — Lombok.
Continuing inland, the imposing Mt. Rinjani looms over the green landscape ahead; blanketed by clouds, its peak looks like Mt Doom, often shaking violently to remind people that it’s still alive. There’s not much traffic on these roads, allowing you to casually look around at the landscape without the fear of plowing into traffic. Narrow coconut palms trace the skyline overhead, as you and your bike pass village after village. Terraced rice fields separate large patches of forest, almost always concealing another dramatic waterfall. This land is reminiscent of Bali but without the tourists. The locals seem a little more curious about your presence, yet are quick to welcome you to their island. No matter where you find yourself, it feels unspoiled and wild.
People’s lives here are shaped by the unruliness of nature. Tectonic forces that shake the island from time to time deal a heavy hand. In 2018, a massive magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Lombok, destroying many of the region’s buildings and killing hundreds. The damage was catastrophic and many people were displaced because of it. This is the reality of life in Indonesia and respect for natural forces is ingrained into its culture. To this day, you’ll most likely see scars from the disaster and people will often reflect on it as the worst misfortune to strike the island in recent history.
You’ll notice that the island is slightly smaller than neighboring Bali and shares many cultural similarities; afterall, the islands’ histories were intertwined through trade and common rule. Lombok’s original inhabitants are the Sasak people. They originally practiced a form of Hindu-anamism until Islam became the dominant religion in the 16th and 17th centuries. In certain parts of the island, the already prevalent Hindu and Buddhist traditions mixed with Islam, creating a new religion called Wetu Telu. The original beliefs of the early Sasak people are preserved in the minority Bodha religion, which is practiced by less than 10,000 people.
Looking back I would love to have spent more time delving into Lombok’s culture and traditions as I crave these experiences in my life now. When I came here I was in my twenties searching out lonely reef breaks, riding on motorbikes with two of my friends. We didn’t explore much and barely took any photos. However, our time here was incredibly rewarding, in the form of new found friends, amazing waves, and adventures alone on the road. Lombok is beautiful, but there’s always a sense that you’re in the hands of nature, a bit further from civilization and all its comforts, including medical care. Aside from these early anxieties life is good here. The people are kind and warm. I learned a tiny bit of Indonesian before coming and here, it goes a long way.
Politically Lombok is part of the West Nusa Tenggara administrative region. Mataram, the island’s largest city, is its bustling capital. There’s not much to see in Mataram aside from a few cultural sights and some of the island’s most delicious food. If you like bali-style hindu temples, the capital has two major compounds worth visiting: Pura Lingsar, the 18th century temple dedicated to both hindu and Wektu Telu beliefs; and Pura Meru, dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Pura Meru’s multi-tiered shrines also represent the three sacred mountains in Indonesia: Rinjani, Agung, and Bromo. The new Islamic Center Nusa Tenggara Barat is another religious building that’s worth visiting. Although built in 2016, it serves as a cultural center for the city and offers wonderful views from its towering minarets.
There’s a noticeable divergence at Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Airport between the visiting surfers and the others. Board bags in hand, surfers generally speed through the kiosks and security checks and bee-line their way to the first car rental, motorbike rental, or taxi to take them south as soon as possible. Non-surfers are probably here to venture north to Lombok’s two most visited areas.
One of these is its most famous landmark, Mount Rinjani. It rises 3,726 metres above sea level, making it Indonesia’s second highest peak. In the past, a second, higher mountain, the 4,200 metre Mt. Samalas once stood. Then, in 1257, Samalas erupted in a cataclysmic event which caused a gigantic plume of ash and pumice, with a force that sent gigantic rocks raining on the islands of Bali and Sumbawa. The event was one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the last two Millennia and its massive amounts of emitted greenhouse gasses are believed to have contributed to the wide-spread cooling period known as the little ice age which sent average global temperatures plummeting in the early modern period.
Today most visitors come to Lombok to see and climb this famous mountain. From the peak, amazing views of the lake Segara Anak’s crystal waters can be enjoyed. Formed from the great Samalas eruption of 1257, the lake is one of the most famous natural landscapes in Indonesia, even being depicted on the back of the 10,000 rupiah banknote.
As the hikers rejoice in Lombok’s incredibly picturesque interior, there are those who want to party. Backpackers and honeymooners, eager to mix with other foreigners or be completely isolated by themselves without much contact with the people who live here other than being waited on, can come to the famous offshore islands. Although that’s a small percentage of people who visit them, the reputation sticks. But regardless of their popularity with the less adventurous and hedonistic types, people have lived here for centuries, and even though it’s easy to bash these islands as places where all the tourists go, they truly are stunning communities worth visiting and have benefited greatly from the money these vacationers bring in.
Located off Lombok’s Northwest coast, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air are collectively known as the Gili islands. They host world class scuba-diving, pristine white sand beaches, and wild night-life. I never had the desire to visit these islands; the laid back and wave rich south coast was where I chose to spend my time and spending my days on a white-sand beach with hundreds of other foreigners far away from world class surf seemed to be more like my own personal hell. For those who don’t surf however, they are well worth a visit.
Each island has its unique character. Gili Trawangan, the largest, is known as the party island due to its wild club and beach party scene. Scuba diving is another draw to Trawangan. With some of the most beautiful reefs in Indonesia and affordable diving schools, it is and should be on any prospective divers radar. The island’s full of low to high end resorts, youth hostels, international restaurants, and of course nightclubs.
Gili Meno, the smallest island, is more secluded, offering the perfect romantic getaway for couples wanting a beachside paradise. Gili Air is the mellow, hippy friendly island full of laid back bars, restaurants, and plenty of yoga studios. Each of the islands was severely damaged during the 2018 earthquakes.
Another island chain, known as the Sekotong Islands, is often considered the southern Gili’s. They lie just off the south-western coast of Lombok. These small white sand islands offer a more local vibe than the Gili islands to the north. World class snorkeling and scuba diving are the main activities here. Quiet walks along the beaches where the entire island can be explored on foot is what attracts people here.
Ideally if you had a few weeks in Lombok you would encircle the island starting in Mataram and head either North or south, spending more time in a certain region depending on what you wanted to see and do. I surf, so it’s only logical I went south. For others, waterfalls and remote villages are their thing, and the northern and central regions are full of places to explore. I would have loved to see the checkered farmland of Bukit Selong or explored the deep Bangkang Cave. Lomboks North end is also full of lush jungles and waterfalls like Tiu Kelep Waterfall.
I should mention a few uncomfortable realities that you will face while traveling here. The first is the importance of bike maintenance and patience when things don’t go as planned. If your bike breaks down people will want to help. This being a poorer part of the world, they may or may not see an economic value in doing so. The best thing is to relax and be respectful, even if you’re getting ripped off. The vast majority of people around the world wish you no harm and genuinely do want to help you, but you are, afterall, someone from a wealthier land, and can afford to pay a little extra. Not to excuse overcharging anyone unfairly, but this will happen to you from time to time in Indonesia and many other parts of the world. If you can’t accept this fact and will end up being an ass towards people trying to help and feed their family in the process, don’t come here.
Cockfighting is treated as a sport in Indonesia, especially in the rural areas like Lombok. Gambling, although looked down upon, is often a part of this brutal pastime and for visitors it can be quite unpleasant to watch. The roosters are bred to display certain winning attributes and selected with care before the fight. Small blades are tied onto the bird’s feet as they are held facing each other in a taunting position until the official start of the match. When the owners let go, each kick and each strike to the opponent raises the tension in the ring. Money, bragging rights, and other more sacred beliefs are often on the line, as these tournaments draw an insatiable crowd to the bloody spectacle.
Another brutal ancient sport highlighting aggressive displays of masculinity is Peresean. Unlike cockfighting, this is a sport where two humans go at it with a large cane (penjalin) and a hard buffalo skin shield. Participants (pepadu) are chosen from the audience and expected to strike their opponent on the upper torso, drawing more points for proximity to the head. The person who earns the most points before the other surrenders or at the end of five rounds, wins. Bloody, exhausted, and sometimes broken, these men hug each other afterwards signifying a peaceful truce. The sport is considered an honorable tradition for the Sasak people and was once a way to train combatants and bless rice harvests. Peresean fights can be viewed in many Sasak villages and these shows are often put on for tourists.
Heading South along the narrow highway you enter the less visited part of the island, where surfers make up the vast majority of foreigners you’ll see. There is not much when it comes to amenities aside from a small selection of new surf resorts; the villages scattered along the south coast survive off of surf tourism, fishing, and farming. The landscape is drier in the south, getting particularly arid the further east you venture. Getting lost in the coastal landscape echoes the early surf adventure films I grew up watching as a kid.
My two friends and I made the quiet village of Kuta our base as we spent the week exploring the island’s south coast and its many reef breaks. Small, quiet, and hungry for tourism’s financial boom, Kuta maintains a charming seaside village atmosphere, with plenty of small warangs and bars catering to the thirsty surfers resting here. Nights were spent amongst friends chatting about the day’s adventures or spent walking alone along the town’s shoreline which stretches inside a small bay. A tiny mangrove forest sits on the town’s western end. A favorite hang-out for local teens, it became my favorite spot to snorkel. Aside from a few random pieces of trash, a host of exotic fish make their home inside the entanglement of stumps and seagrass.
Just off-shore, a couple large reef breaks provide waves for all skill levels. Seger is the more famous, localized spot, which attracts the most locals due to its proximity to town. Most waves, however, are a short motorbike ride away, while the best breaks often require a boat to access them. Luckily the villages have all equipped themselves with motorized long boats which can be chartered for the day at very little cost.
Heading east you come to a small bay which features a playful righthander that breaks in the inside known as Tanjung Aan. Wind and tide sensitive, this spot’s conditions can change in an instant. Inside the next bay east is the famous beginner spot known as Gerupuk. Most foreign surfers can be found huddled amongst the crowds, dropping into every wave they can, and creating a seriously aggravating session that’s best avoided if possible (my friends board was split in half by one of these clueless and entitled vacationers and he was left without his favorite board and an apology). Don Don is a much better wave further inside the bay that needs a lot of swell to work. Outside Gerupuk is an even better, more wind sensitive spot, further out towards the bays entrance that produces incredibly fun rights. With the right boat rented for the day and a lot of swell, any of these waves are accessible and fun, especially if the crowds are evenly distributed.
My friends and I spent most of our time in the east, surfing two spots known as Inside and Outside Ekas. Located on the eastern edge of Awang bay, the breaks are fun when the swell, wind, and tide line up. Driving into the small village of Awang to catch a boat out to the reefs, we immediately were met by local men carrying machetes. After slowly approaching our bikes they told us that they’ve been having a lot of problems with people causing trouble in their village and are keeping a closer tab on anyone who enters. We determined that they were just protecting their village and agreed to leave our bikes in the designated spot.
The first person we met was a young boat operator named Zoel. He was eager to take us as he just earned his own boat from working with his dad. Zoel made us feel welcome in his village and showed us the local mosque and his house, and acquainted us with his family. Afterwards, realizing that we all wanted a full day of surf and acknowledging that all five of us on the boat were young, overly energetic (frothing) surfers, we loaded up on food for the boat ride which consisted of dozens of Nasi Balap Puyung — a Lombok speciality consisting of shredded chicken, fish, tempeh, chili paste, and veggies over rice, all wrapped in a banana leaf to go.
When we got onto Zoel’s boat we were beyond excited. The tropical sun and calm off-shore wind projected to continue throughout the day made us anticipate a session to remember. There were no other foreigners in sight as we made our way into the empty lineup; a welcome sight after our frustrating session at Gerupuk. We spent the entire day surfing both inside and outside Ekas, depending on the tide. The outside was a tricky, shifting left peak, that sped across the reef and consisted of the most playful wall and occasional hollow section; a true leg-burner for all of us. The inside was an A-frame which split into a long tapering left and a fast right that ended into a shallow hollow section at the end of the reef. I found this right to be my favorite wave, although we all spent some time getting intimate with the sharp coral underneath us. We spent several days hiring Zoel as our boat driver and we became friends, staying in contact to this day.
West of Kuta are the real gems of Lombok’s surf breaks. Most respected is Desert Point, a break that is always in the conversation of “best surf spot in the world.” It’s undoubtedly one of the best lefts. Fickle, crowded, and uber shallow, Desert Point intimidated the hell out of us. Unfortunately we mistimed the swell and never got to challenge ourselves at this famed reef. We did end up falling in love with the spot called Mawi, a hollow left and right reef break located at the end of a small road in a sparsely populated section of coast. There weren’t many people here and we often surfed it amongst the three of us. These lonely sessions were truly special as we all were getting barreled and sunburnt. The reef, shallow and sharp, was also beautiful and I couldn’t help diving amongst the fish as the breaking waves tore through the water above me. Sitting at the bottom, I watched my friends surf from underneath the waves; the trails of their boards disappearing into the blue distance as the underwater swirls of energy caused by the crashing lip dance in front of me, a truly mesmerizing sight.
These road trips along the south coast with my friends formed a wealth of fun memories of carefree banter and great surf amongst a tropical island setting. For me, so much of Indonesia is associated with the open road. The times with friends riding our bikes along the rolling hills, scattered villages, and empty reef breaks. Lombok is the perfect ending to this adventure. Someday I’ll combine the journey to these three islands and follow my complete itinerary while leaving room for more discoveries. For now, I’ll sit here and reflect on all the wonderful times I had in Indonesia and how I wish I had taken more pictures. Most of all, I wish I spent even more time getting lost in its magical beauty.